Friday, February 26, 2016

PUBlication: Brew Detective

Victory Brewing Co.
Pennsylvania is in the house, or cabin rather. Recently I received some awesome gifts from a friend who had traveled back east, which in turn was beneficial for my beer habit. Two of these Hop-pops were from Victory Brewing Company. One of the delicious 12 ounce gems was a first-time release from The Blackboard Series, an agave IPA with grapefruit, bottled in 2016. The other was DirtWolf, Victory's Double IPA.

Agave IPA | 7% ABV
A classic IPA aroma jumped from the bottle when we cracked this first-ever release. Regardless of the grapefruit and agave the nose stays true with a clean, hop-forward scent. An invisible head fades away atop the slight carbonation. There's a crisp mouth feel, satisfyingly clean with yellow hues dominating in clarity. A faint sweetness gives way to a friendly dose of bitterness. Agent M, My partner in crime, commented on how smooth it was with a nice fizzy quality up front. Most likely a tough find out west, but if you do see it, grab a six pack of these tasty warm weather helpers.

hops: Simcoe, Citra, Centennial, Cascade | malt: Pilsner & CaraPils

DirtWolf DIPA | 8.7%
Victory has it down when it comes to the DirtWolf. Besides having one of the better names it also hits the mark when it comes to American/West Coast DIPA's. The cleanliness of hops wins out over a super slight two-row malt interaction, or lack there of. DirtWolf is for the hop heads. This was my first time enjoying it out of the bottle. It has a strong trail of fruit that pushes at the daunting hops. The nose is full of expectations. This double is a transparent school-bus yellow, encompassing a neat bitterness that strikes early, while finishing easy. Drink responsibly.

hops: Citra (whole flower), Chinook, Simcoe, Mosaic | malt: two-row

eightychoices.

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